Last Best Hope: An Immortal Dynasty - Chapter Thirty-Two (7-21-15)

[Rhoxi]

I love how real everything looks in your screenshots: poses, decor. It even looks all appropriately wintery and in theme with the town. The simple civil union shots are a nice touch; we don't see many sim weddings like that.

[intl_incident]

Luckily for Alden, Fjord was a doting mother.  I did my best to help with what I could, but it was strange to me to have to teach a child such basic things as walking and talking, and most of the time I didn't really know how to help.



One thing I did do was to record some of the histories of Ajri, first as picture books that Alden could read, to give him an early foundation in the background of his family. 



But then, after Iris heard me telling him the stories as bedtime tales, she encouraged me to write them up into narratives, and to send them to a publisher, who bound them into a set of children's novels.  They soon became best-sellers in the "fantasy" genre -- only I knew they weren't fantasy.



I did it because I needed the money from the books to keep up my research into my eventual return to Ajri.  Things had progressed to a point that I needed more expensive equipment and supplies, as well as a more private place to continue my experiments than the Ingberg's basement.  So I did whatever the publisher required as part of the contract, which took me away from home even more.



Truth be told, I didn't miss it much.  If I had spent more time with her, I'd like to think I would have recognized Fjord's sadness for what it was: loneliness.  She wanted a larger family, but she had grown old waiting for me to want another child with her as well. 



But home for me was far away, not back in the snug little rooms I'd built above the barn.  Try as I might, I didn't really love Fjord.  And Alden was just perplexing.  Eventually he aged up into the sort of child I recognized, but he had so much more of his mother's temperament that I was still unsure how to relate to him.  He took up painting, learning from Jakob and Ilsa, and he took up guitar, learning from his mother. 



He had little or no interest in any of the outdoor pursuits I spent my time on -- which left the books about Ajri as the only thing we could really bond over.  He loved hearing the stories, and playing at being Lord of one of the great houses.





Still, despite my best effort to try instill the ideas of duty and honor, the same things my father had taught me, the older he got the less Alden wanted to hear about it.  Things eventually came to a head shortly after his teen birthday.  We had a party for him at the local bowling alley, and as I watched him with his friends, it seemed like he was growing up right before my eyes.



Soon enough, he was a young teenager, full of his own ideas…



...and full of teenage hormones.



Unfortunately, he picked the wrong way to try to impress the girls of Aurora Skies.

[intl_incident]

Hey there everyone -- sorry for the delay in posting.  I hosted Thanksgiving for my family this year, and then just as I had all of that cleaned up, I found out I will be hosting Christmas as well.  Lots of decorations to hang and shopping to finish.  But I'm finally all done except the wrapping, the grocery shopping and the last bit of sewing on my niece's costumes for the dress-up box I'm making for her present.  Whew!  Finally got a few minutes to continue the story in Aurora Skies!

I love how real everything looks in your screenshots: poses, decor. It even looks all appropriately wintery and in theme with the town. The simple civil union shots are a nice touch; we don't see many sim weddings like that.

Thanks! You know how much I love building, but I am trying to balance my usual enthusiasm with the knowledge that eventually this is going to be a giant, bloated save file.   So I am glad the screenshots still look good.  And after the big wedding ceremony scene in the other story, I wanted to do something much simpler, and in it's own way I think this one was really pretty. Aurora Skies is such a beautiful world -- the lighting is amazing.

Congratulations on the heir! I like how you've worked in all the helpers. It seems very natural, what they're doing. So often the storytelling depends on dynasty rules and this really seems like it could be an independent story.

Thanks! As you can see in the last post, I intend to go screaming through the toddler and childhood years for most of these heirs.  But hopefully Alden will be more interesting soon.    And yes, I wanted the Dynasty to be a sort of background to what's going on -- always there, but not really prominent in the story. At least not yet.

The good news is, Jaffaran is just about done with his requirements. I'll post them on the first page when he finally eats Ambrosia, so you can all see that the technical stuff is all on the up and up.

[Trip]

Happy holidays! I'm stuck hosting Christmas too.

It is sad that Jaff and Alden feel distant, but the bit about him writing it as a story was nice. Screenshots rock, as usual.

[Playalot]

Just found your story...oh my! I just love it! Your screenshots are fabulous with my fav being the snowy scene with Astanal doing his horse equivalent of a snow angel, how beautiful. I love how your story is more important, as such, than the dynasty stats etc. It makes such a lovely read. 

[intl_incident]

Just found your story...oh my! I just love it! Your screenshots are fabulous with my fav being the snowy scene with Astanal doing his horse equivalent of a snow angel, how beautiful. I love how your story is more important, as such, than the dynasty stats etc. It makes such a lovely read. 

Hey thanks! A new reader!  Just saw your comment after I finally finished up with most of my remaining post-holiday chores. I love to hear that people like the fact that the Dynasty requirements are in the background, as I wasn't sure how well that would go over on the Dynasty Story board.  And I love that you love the picture of Astanal on his back in the snow, because I love that one too.

Now that the holiday chores are (mostly) done, I hope to have the next chapter up tonight or tomorrow.  Sorry for the delay, but Christmas cookies had to baked and eaten!

[intl_incident]

Well, FINALLY, here is another chapter.  Life got in the way again, with crazy work stuff, crazy family stuff, etc. (If I could just quit my job and write this story full time, I would be much better about it. )

Anyway, onward!  Many thanks to anyone who has stuck around this long.

--------------

It was about this time that my life in Aurora Skies took several turns for the worse. Looking back on it, most of this was my fault. I should have spent more time with Alden. I should have spent more time with Fjord.  But though I knew, in theory, how short the lives here were, it hadn't really sunk in yet just how precious time really was. 

I think I only truly realized it when Astanal, my companion since I was a child, the indefatigable horse I had thought would always be at my side, slowed his gait. He shivered in the snows that winter, and stumbled stepping into his stall. And though I stoked up a fire in the stove that heated the barn, and though I covered him in his favorite blanket, fed him the best oats and carrots and all of the treats he loved, stroked his muzzle and talked to him about the soft sands of Ajri... 



...one evening he finally just stopped. He should have been immortal. He should have been galloping beneath sunny skies for decades to come. But instead he'd come to this dark, cold place to help me find my way -- and now he was gone forever.



As I looked in the mirror that night, I saw myself as I'd become -- old. And I knew that there was no more time for research; no more time for testing. I had no protection from death here, and soon I would be gone like Astanal, and there would be no hope of saving Ajri. The next day, at my request, Iris cooked the recipe I'd developed, and I sat down to eat the strange concoction I hoped would preserve my aging bones until my task was complete.



It was in the nick of time. Only a few days later, Iris passed away, and Jonas - who had been trying to cheer me up since Astanal's death - leaned on me for support.



Snowflake Day was fast approaching, and it was hard for everyone to feel the sort of cheer we were used to. Iris had always been the one to do the cooking and decorating, and to bring the family together even when everyone was pulled in different directions. Now Jakob spent his time drinking with his doctor friends, Ilsa was busy with her hospital duties, Fjord was justifiably ignoring me, and Jonas and I were a glum pair anyway, mourning those who were no longer with us.



Alden, on the other hand, was in the midst of a bit of a love triangle. He'd been friends with the newspaper carrier, Jacklyn, since he'd been old enough to think that girls weren't gross, and had even flirted with her from time to time. But now that he was in high school, he'd met a young woman, Joline, who was more to his liking. She shared his passion for rock and roll and rebellion, and the two of them spent hours together, laughing and writing and practicing art and music in the now empty barn with their friend Derrick Wong.



That led to a lecture from Fjord on Snowflake Day itself -- we'd all gathered in the cabin's snug living room to eat turkey and far too many cookies, then gathered around the tree to open gifts. Both Joline and Jacklyn were there, and when Alden got Jacklyn under the mistletoe for a kiss, Fjord took him aside.



"It's not fair to Jacklyn," she said. "You shouldn't lead her on if you don't really care for her."

"I know," Alden said glumly, kicking at the floor with one foot. "But she's nice, you know? I like her. I don't want to be mean to her."

"It's not cruel to tell the truth," Fjord replied softly. "It's actually worse to pretend you care about her, just to make her happy. Eventually she will see it's not true. And then she will feel like a fool, and you will have wasted her time." 

Alden looked at her with his head tilted, thinking he might have heard a strange, sad note in her voice.  But she just smiled at him, wistfully, and patted him on the shoulder.  "Go have fun," she said. "You're young, with your whole life ahead of you.  Make good choices, and make the most of it. Don't find yourself looking back and wishing you would have seen things more clearly."



I'd gotten Fjord a new guitar that holiday. And as we watched the usual movies that we watched every year, and played the usual games, Fjord was practicing softly in the background. As she played, I thought I recognized the chords of the song she'd written so long ago: "... I know you'll love me in time."



What she didn't know -- what no one could have known before that moment -- was that time had run out for her as well.



I was once again a widower, this time full of regrets.



---------------

And so, the first generation is done!  I'll post Jeff's stats and dynasty info, plus a Gen 1 "family portrait" later tonight when I get back home.  And now -- back to work! Lunchtime is over!

EDITED TO ADD: Dynasty details and pictures are now up on the first post.

[JudesSims]

Oh, how sad! But, excellently written. I've been reading and will continue to do so even though I don't comment often

[Magz from Oz]

Oh, how sad! But, excellently written. I've been reading and will continue to do so even though I don't comment often

Ditto from down under.  RIP Astanal, Iris and especially poor Fjord.

Jaffaran really needs to come to terms with the mortality of others in his life.  Perhaps it's time to remember that Alden is his son as much as Ajri is his daughter.  They both need him, albeit in very different ways.

[intl_incident]

Oh, how sad! But, excellently written. I've been reading and will continue to do so even though I don't comment often

Thanks -- glad the mood came through as intended. While I sometimes play with the order of actual in-game events a bit when I lay out the the screenshots in the story, in this case everyone started dying all at once.  There were an insane amount of negative moodlets in that house for a long few days. 

Ditto from down under.  RIP Astanal, Iris and especially poor Fjord.

Jaffaran really needs to come to terms with the mortality of others in his life.  Perhaps it's time to remember that Alden is his son as much as Ajri is his daughter.  They both need him, albeit in very different ways.

Well... he's been busy. But he's coming to terms with it now, and will probably try to bring Alden into his confidence about the Dynasty and Ajri, and all of the importance of what's going on.

In fact, he'll probably do it in the very next post.  Let's see how THAT goes!  

(You know how they say it's always darkest before the dawn?  Right... keep remembering that...)

[intl_incident]

We went through all of the usual ceremonies, where I said all of the appropriate things to all of the appropriate people, and everyone treated me with the kindness and consideration due to a supposedly devastated spouse.  Everyone, that is, except Alden.

I knew he was grieving.  He had been far closer to this mother than he was to me.  I tried to do what I could -- tried to be the same sort of caring father I had been with Ajiana -- but he was so different. He was hot-headed and unforgiving, and nothing I did seemed to work.  When I gave him the guitar I had had made for Fjord that Snowflake Day, intending to try to talk to him about her, he just glared at me and yanked it out of my hand then stalked off to the treehouse at the back of the property.



He spent a lot of time there, alone.  Or he spent his time in the barn with Jocelyn and Derrick, talking about forming a band.  His grades started to suffer.  His language and behavior became more and more problematic.  It seemed like the more I tried to get close to him, the more he pushed me away, and the more trouble he got into -- maybe to get attention, or maybe just to spite me.

One particular night it was Beryl, the last of our horses, who caught him behind the barn, where he was painting another of his "masterpieces." 



She pranced over to where he was working, and whinnied a greeting.  "Shush," he snapped as he sprayed another color over the others. "Stupid horse.  Get lost."

She snorted at that, poking at his jacket with her muzzle, looking for an apple.

"Beryl?"  Jonas called her name as he walked through the snow, finding his way in the bright list cast from the cabin windows. "Where'd you go?  Time to get inside."

"I said shush," Alden whispered, pushing the horse's nose away as she nickered. "Go on!"



But Jonas heard the commotion and came around to the back of the barn. "There you are, girl," he called to the mare. "And Alden. What are you doing out -- oh." He frowned at the painted letters marring the bright red finish of the wood.

"FINE! Alden threw down his spray can, defiantly.  He was quick as ever to anger. "Go rat me out to my dad so he can come yell at me again."

Jonas raised an eyebrow, not about to be goaded that easily. "When has he ever yelled at you before?"

"You know what I mean," Alden spat. "He doesn't get it. He just gets angry."

"Not angry," Jonas drawled. "More like disappointed. Which I suppose is worse."

Alden's cheeks flushed red, and his hands balled up into fists as he stood his ground. "That's just because I don't follow him around like his dog, hunting for nuts and berries like you do. I'm an artist, and a musician, not some idiot who writes children's fairy tales like they're classic literature, and then pretends he's a survivalist out in the woods all day."



"OK, listen you little punk."  Jonas finally lost his cool. "I know your mom just died, but your father's not an idiot, and you need--"

"Of COURSE you defend him. You always do! It's not my fault he likes you better than me. That's his fault, and--"

"KNOCK IT OFF. Both of you."  The two of them were practically snarling at each other, and so I had to shout to be heard as I walked up beside them.  I laid a hand on Beryl's mane to calm her down, and then nodded Jonas toward the door to the stables. "Go get her some fresh hay for the night.  Alden, come inside. I need to talk to you."



"I'm not finished."

"You are.  And tomorrow you'll be out here cleaning this up."

He just stared at me, arms crossed, sullen and furious for reasons I didn’t understand.  I stared back until he finally relented, kicking his spray cans back into their sack, and gathering it all up. "You're such a…"

I couldn't make out the rest of the mumbled sentence, but I was pretty sure it wasn't flattering. "Come on," I repeated. "Downstairs."



He took his time coming down to the cellar, but when he did, he stared around in wonder.  "So this is where you spend all of your time?"

The small room was cramped and crowded with boxes and bins, crates and books, gems and plants and jars full of strange concoctions.  All of my supplies were down here, collected over the years I'd been in Aurora Skies, and carefully preserved for all of the charms and potions I would have to craft.  It was a true alchemist's workshop and unlike anything he had likely ever seen before.



"Yes," I answered him, tossing a handful of powdered sapphire into the cauldron. "And I wanted to show it to you.  You're old enough now, and it's time you learn your true heritage.  I need to explain things to you -- the reasons I sometimes don't spend as much time with you as you might like, or the reasons I might do things that seem strange to you.  You need to understand who you really are, the secrets I've kept from you, and what all of this is."

He waved his hand in front of his nose as the cauldron sparked and simmered. "What it is, is disgusting," he snorted. "Holy cow, dad. That reeks, and this place is full of junk. What's the big secret, you're a hoarder?"



"No, I -- what? No."  I blinked at him for a moment, until the cauldron started to boil over and I turned my attention back to the potion brewing within.  "This is alchemy, Alden.  Just like in the books I wrote -- the books about Ajri.  These are the charms I wrote about.  This is the magic.  And you and I... you and I are den'Rhelys heirs."

If this were a movie, there probably would have been a dramatic swell in the soundtrack, and Alden probably would have stepped forward, intrigued and amazed as I turned to regard him with a proud smile.  Instead, he just stared at me, suspiciously. "What?"

"In the books, you remember? There was a character named Jaffaran."

"Yeah... so?" He cocked his head, looking at me warily.

"So that's me. I'm Jaffaran."

His brow furrowed. "Like... You mean you based the character on you or something?"

I shook my head, watching him with an earnest expression. "No. I mean, I'm Jaffaran. I was sent here from Ajri to try to save it.  I need to create a new line of heirs to take back with me to reseal the Gate."

"Sheeyah," he scoffed. "And Jonas is Torin. And Ilsa is some talking squirrel who gives advice to the wise old elders so they can bring balance to the Force or whatever. No, wait!  I know... I know..." He paused, then adopted a serious, deep voice: "I'm Batman."



"Squirrels don't talk," I answered calmly. "And you're Alden den'Rhelys. The next heir to our house."

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" He raised his voice to a frustrated shout. "I'm Alden Dempster. Heir to nothing but your piles of junk! The house belongs to the Ingbergs, remember? We're nothing! We’re freeloaders!"



"Alden, I know this is hard for you to understand--"

"I understand more than you think," he snapped, cutting me off. "I understand you're INSANE."

"I need you to believe me," I pleaded with him. "Alden, please. I am here because my mother sent me here with a powerful spell. I have to found a dynasty of den'Rhelys heirs. Nine generations.  You know this. I've told you all of this, in the stories I've been telling you since you were a child. You read the books. The Gate was opened. Ajri is in danger. Jaffaran was sent away to bring back nine generations, to re-seal the portal, and..."



"JAFFARAN IS A STUPID CHARACTER IN A STUPID FAIRY TALE! There's no Ajri, and you're no hero. You're just an ordinary guy with some serious delusions and a giant pile of other people's garbage off Craigslist." He waved his hands around to take in all of the collected items I had gathered in the workshop.

"Please, Alden. I'll show you. The potion I'm brewing is a simple one, but it will prove to you that alchemy is real. One sip... one drop in a glass of water and whoever drinks it will fall fast asleep."

"That will get you arrested, dad! It's not magic, it's a crime."



I blinked at him for a long moment, running out of things to say. This was going even worse than I had expected.

"Right," he finally said.  "So, tell me this: have you always believed this story? You're a magic hero, with a magic quest?  Nine generations and all that?"

I hesitated, uncomfortable with the characterization, but then nodded. "It's not a story," I said earnestly. "It's who I am."

Alden scratched at his wrist for a moment, nodding a few times as he looked at the floor. "Got it," he said at last. "At least now I know why you married mom.  And I know where I fit in.  We're all just part of your master plan."

"Alden, no... wait. You're my son and--"

"And heir to the Great but Fictional House of the den'Rhelys," he said sarcastically as he walked toward the exit. "Like I said. I got it."



"That's not what I was going to say, Alden.  You're my son and I love you.  But you have to believe me. This is all true!" But it was too late. I was talking to the empty ladder as he disappeared out of the basement. 

[Magz from Oz]

Wow.  What a totally amazing chapter!  Teenagers !!!     they think they know it all.  Poor Jaff.  It would be incredibly difficult to explain the whole thing without Aldren thinking him as a candidate for the looney bin.  I wonder how this is going to work out.  Bring it on!

[intl_incident]

Wow.  What a totally amazing chapter!  Teenagers !!!     they think they know it all.  Poor Jaff.  It would be incredibly difficult to explain the whole thing without Aldren thinking him as a candidate for the looney bin.  I wonder how this is going to work out.  Bring it on!

Ha ha, yeah -- Alden's got hot-headed and perfectionist as traits, so he'd be a handful anyway, but that conversation was doomed from the start.  It was fun to write though.  Yay, sarcasm.

And speaking of sarasm, there's more of it below!

[intl_incident]

Here's a short chapter -- but eventful.  We're on our way to Gen 3!

---------------

We were snowed in for a few days, stuck in the house with no school or work, but Alden didn't talk to me.  Every time he would see me coming, he would just roll his eyes, stand up, and walk off to the treehouse, or lock himself in his room, talking to Joline and Derrick on the phone for hours on end. When the snow finally melted, Joline made her way over, and Alden could hardly wait to see her -- he met her at the mailbox, at the end of the path from the cabin.

"It can't be that bad," she said, when he started to explain what I'd told him and what he'd seen in the basement.  "Your dad's all right. He's a little weird, but so's everybody in their own way."



"He's not 'a little weird'!  You have no idea. You should see what he built in the basement! It's like some sort of Homemade Hogwarts. It's ridiculous, and-- why are you laughing?"

Joline shook her head with a mischievous grin. "It's nothing. You're just cute when you're all worked up."

Alden glowered at the reply. "I'm serious! He thinks he's a character from one of his books, and he only had me because I'm supposed to fulfill some magical destiny!"

Joline wiped the smile away, and laid a hand on Alden's shoulder, looking deep into his eyes with a sober expression.  "You're right. I'm sorry."  A pause, and then she added: "Have you had your midichlorian count checked?"



"It's not funny!" Alden scowled.  But the twinkle in Joline's eyes was infectious, as was her laughing answer.

"Don't worry about it," she said blithely.  "You won't have to live here much longer.  We graduate next week, and then we can do whatever we want, wherever we want."

"You know what I want," Alden said, reaching out to take hold of her waist. He pulled her close for a kiss in the moonlight.

Joline was more than happy to comply, though she was still in a joking mood, shouting "Ten points for Gryffindor!" after the kiss.  Then she tickled his chest and darted off toward the treehouse, laughing the whole way as Alden finally cracked a smile and chased after her.



Graduation was indeed the week after, and as he walked to the ceremony at City Hall in his cap and gown, Alden looked every inch a young adult instead of a teen. 



He and Joline started making plans immediately -- they would get an apartment in town, form a band with Derrick, and live the bohemian life of artists and rock stars, away from their irritating parents and the ordinary responsibilities of ordinary life. 

Of course, life has a way of interfering with plans, especially plans as impractical and grandiose as Alden and Joline's.



He found me over breakfast one morning, and announced, without prelude, that Joline was moving in.  Apparently apartments were too expensive for artists and rock stars in the making, and apparently Joline's parents were demanding that he take on his share of the ordinary responsibilities that a new baby would require.

He looked at me defensively, as if sure I would object.  But in truth I was delighted -- his child would be the third generation, and I would have more time with him to try to explain the realities of our family situation.



"It's good news, Alden," I tried to reassure him. "Children are always good news, whether they were expected or not.  Boy or a girl? Do you know?"

"A girl," he said hesitantly. 

"Ah," I said with a small smile.  "Daughters are a delight."

"Oh no," he said firmly, realization dawning. "No you don't. Don't try to turn her into another character in your book.  She'll be my child, not the next generation in your magical fantasy."

"She'll be both," I said quietly.

"No! I don't want any of that nonsense around her."



"She's your daughter," I said simply, taking a sip of my coffee.  There was no sense arguing about it yet, and driving the wedge between us even deeper. But I wasn't about to promise not to tell her about Ajri.  "I'm glad you and Joline found each other," I added.  "She seems like she makes you happy."

"We make each other happy," he said flatly. "That's the way it's supposed to work."
 

[Lisa46]

I just love Alden's response to all of this.